The present invention comprises a process for making flavored milk and specifically relates to a process for making chocolate milk. In particular, this invention involves the use of substantially pure lambda carrageenan to suspend coca in milk.
A principle object of the present invention is to provide a process for making chocolate milk in which cocoa and substantially pure lambda carrageenan is mixed with a portion of the milk such that the carrageenan is at a high concentration, the portion of the milk is pasteurized and/or homogenized and then the final product is made by mixing additional homogenized milk with the initial portion to dilute the carrageenan content in the final product.
Among the advantages of the present method of making chocolate milk is that batch-type mixing of all ingredients in the proper proportions is not required until after pasteurization of a portion of the milk to achieve proper suspension of all of the cocoa. This allows small dairies which do no have the large storage facilities necessary for storing large batches of chocolate milk to make a concentrated batch of milk, cocoa and lambda carrageenan, then mix the final product by adding additional pasteurized milk as the product is needed.
The use of substantially pure lambda carrageenan allows the carrageenan to be introduced in a very concentrated form, because lambda carrageenan does not gel as does other types. The term substantially pure lambda carrageenan means that it is as pure as is presently available, i.e., 90-95 percent pure lambda carrageenan. It is desired that the lambda carrageenan be as pure as possible. Conventional carrageenan presently used in chocolate milk mixes is about 80 percent kappa carrageenan and 20 percent lambda carrageenan.
The use of lambda carrageenan also allows agitating of the chocolate milk after pasteurization without having the cocoa settle out. Using the present process, an initial concentrated slurry can be made with any fat level of milk which will allow a dairy to run one slurry and dilute it to different fat levels in a different part of the plant to avoid making several different batches of chocolate milk. The lambda carrageenan method also works with any flavored milk including egg nog.
The present method can be used with either vat or HTST (high temperature short time) pasteurization. An advantage of this process is that it allows a limited capacity dairy to increase volume without adding any new equipment. It also does not require simultaneous metering of two streams prior to pasteurization to suspend cocoa as do other slurry-type methods.
The wide spread between setting and gel with lambda carrageenan allows proper stabilization without over stabilization and separation. The final product from this process does not have a slick mouth feel.
Another object of this invention is to provide a water and vegetable fat based cocoa product which utilizes a mixture of lambda and iota carrageenan to suspend the cocoa solids. This imitation chocolate milk requires the mixture of carrageenans to hold the product together, but otherwise has all of the advantages hereinbefore set out for the use of lambda carrageenan with milk.
These and other objects and advantages will become apparent hereinafter.
This invention also consists in the parts and in the arrangements and combination of part hereinafter described and claimed.